Non-Russian world: the countries Russia confronts by the end of 2015

By the end of 2015 the number of countries in confrontation with Russia in the military-political and commercial spheres has increased. Unfriendly territory extends across several continents, and mutual sanctions get extended.

At the end of 2015 the majority of European Union countries, and other European countries that joined them, extended their sanctions for a half a year, while the US sanctions were expanded. The renewed US sanctions list now contains representatives of self-proclaimed republics in Ukraine, “daughters” of Russian banks and companies working in the defense sector, Crimean enterprises and companies associated with the people close to the president Vladimir Putin.

This year, the effect from individual sanctions imposed by the US and the EU against the Russian parliament, became visible: the chairman of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko was granted a visa to the United States with the restrictions that prevented her to participate in a meeting of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. The State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin was unable to take part in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Finland, as the authorities did not issue him a visa.

Russian military forces in 2015 took part in two armed conflicts: in the south-east of Ukraine, and in Syria. The active phase of military operations in the south-east of Ukraine lasted up until March, and in February Debaltsevo was taken by separatists, with a large number of dead on both sides. Ukrainian officials insist that Russian soldiers are still in Ukraine. The chairman of the Commission for Civil-Military Relations of the Human Rights Council under the President of Russia Sergey Krivenko intends to apply to the Investigation Committee, and to the Chief Military Prosecutor’s Office to verify the information about the death of 159 Russian soldiers in the period from January 1, 2014 to July 30, 2015. Russia still denies the participation of military personnel in combat operations in Ukraine.

Military operations against terrorists in Syria, and in support to the country’s army was begun openly, and by request of the president Bashar al-Assad. Russian planes make over 300 combat flights in a week. As calculated by RBC, the operation costs the Ministry of Defence at least $2.5 million a day.

Russia’s participation in operations in Syria has provoked conflict with Turkey, which earlier was bond to the Moscow with strategic partnership. From the very beginning of the Russian operation Ankara expressed their discontent, stating that Russian aircrafts bomb not the positions of ISIS, but rather the areas not occupied by this organization. Turkey has promised to respond firmly to the violation of its air space. On November 24 Turkish fighter shot down a Russian bomber Su-24, one of the pilots was killed. President Putin has called these actions “a stab in the back”, froze relations with the Turkish leadership, and signed a decree on sanctions against Turkey. Russian group in Syria was strengthened by deploying S-400.